Chapter 8

The old man was stubborn as a mule. No matter how the man who had been bitten haggled, he refused to budge.

In the end, the man lost his temper too. "Keep the cow yourself, then. Let's see who'll pay eight thousand for a bad-tempered cow!"

With that, the man shook his hand, pushed through the crowd, and stormed off.

With no more excitement to watch, some of the onlookers dispersed. The rest gathered around the cow, looking it over, but showed no intention of making an offer.

The old man sat off to one side, clutching his cattle whip, his face full of frustration.

Shi Wen studied the cow carefully for a while, then squeezed through the crowd and asked the old man, "Can I take a look?"

The old man said, "I won't sell for less than eight thousand."

Shi Wen smiled. "Let me look first."

Hearing that, the old man said stiffly, "Don't stand behind her. She kicks too."

Whoa, Shi Wen thought. The cow both bit and kicked. She really did have a nasty temper.

She was a brown dairy cow. Having been warned, Shi Wen didn't dare pry open her mouth for fear of being bitten.

He walked around the cow and quickly determined that she was a heifer just over a year old.

A cow could give birth at around two years old, and an ordinary two-year-old brown cow could easily sell for twenty or thirty thousand. At eight thousand, the old man's asking price really wasn't high.

But she had a bad temper, and he might not be able to get her bred when the time came.

Shi Wen walked around the cow, looking her over, and the more he saw, the more pleased he was.

The cow stood obediently while he examined her. Later, he tentatively touched her neck and checked her teeth, and she didn't resist. Compared to before, she was so docile that she seemed like a different cow altogether.

The old man hadn't expected the cow to be so docile under Shi Wen's hands, and neither had Shi Wen himself.

Someone nearby chuckled. "Looks like this cow has an affinity with you, young man."

The old man watched Shi Wen eagerly. Perhaps because there was hope of making the sale, his expression had brightened somewhat.

Shi Wen patted the cow on the back.

She really was a good cow. At the market, none of the cows of the same grade were priced below twelve thousand.

Even if she was a little bad-tempered, it wouldn't be much of a problem in his hands. After all, he had plenty of empty cattle sheds. Once he led her home, there would be no problem keeping her in one by herself.

Shi Wen soon made up his mind. "Sir, sell me this cow."

The old man lifted himself off the railing and half stood, emphasizing, "Eight thousand. Not a penny less."

Shi Wen smiled. "Eight thousand it is."

Only then did the old man stand up fully. "She's a good cow. Take her home and train her properly, and you definitely won't lose out."

Shi Wen smiled and settled the payment with the old man.

After confirming that the money had arrived, the old man handed the rope to Shi Wen.

Someone nearby said to the old man, "Happy now?"

The old man nodded. "I am. This young man knows a good cow when he sees one."

Shi Wen smiled and led the cow away. Before long, he spotted another cow, a scrawny dairy cow being sold for meat.

Shi Wen hadn't taken a fancy to any of the many big, sturdy cattle, but this scrawny dairy cow delighted him and gave him the urge to buy her.

He led his cow over to ask about her. The seller told him that the dairy cow had been injured giving birth to a calf and couldn't have any more, so she could only be sold for meat. The asking price was 9,300.

Shi Wen carefully examined the cow's condition. Drawing on the professional knowledge he had learned and his intuition, he judged that she was a fine specimen and that there should still be a chance of treating her.

The cow was only a little over four years old. If she could be nursed back to health, she could give birth at least five more times.

In the end, he bargained the price down to nine thousand and bought the scrawny breeding-age cow as well.

Shi Wen had bought two cows, and Fu Meng's three-wheeler couldn't fit them both. In the end, he had to ask another person traveling with them to help transport them back.

On this trip to the bazaar, the villagers selling cattle and sheep had sold almost everything, while those looking to buy had found little. There were plenty of empty vehicles.

Fu Meng put in a word for him, and the person traveling with them readily agreed. He even praised Shi Wen's purchase. "The heifer you bought really is a good one. When it's time to breed her, try her with a good breeding bull. In a few years, you should have a fine herd."

"I hope so too." Shi Wen gently patted the cow's back. "Hopefully her temper will improve a little, and my investment won't go down the drain."

As soon as he said that, someone realized what had happened. "So you're the one who bought that stubborn old man's cow. I was wondering why she looked so familiar."

"I heard before that her temper was so bad she'd even been returned. But now that you've brought her over, she doesn't seem quite that bad."

Shi Wen smiled. "It's all right. I don't have many livestock at home, so I'll keep her by herself. Maybe her temper will gradually improve."

"Judging by how she behaves with you, I don't think there'll be a problem," someone said from the side. "That old man hasn't had it easy either."

It seemed there was more to the story. Shi Wen asked, "What happened to him?"

The person who had spoken chuckled. "Actually, it's a good thing. The old man sold the cow to help put together a dowry for his youngest granddaughter."

Shi Wen was taken aback, then smiled. "Then some of that good fortune has rubbed off on me."

Chapter 8

Newly purchased livestock couldn't be kept with the existing animals. They had to be isolated and raised separately for a while, and could only be put together once they were confirmed free of disease.

Even though he had few animals, Shi Wen didn't dare cut corners on this.

Shi Wen planned to put the two cows in the two innermost livestock sheds.

After saying goodbye to Fu Meng and the person who had helped, Shi Wen led the bad-tempered cow all the way from the ranch entrance to the livestock shed. The scrawny cow didn't need leading and went in obediently on her own.

He walked up to the cattle shed.

The bad-tempered cow stood at the entrance to the shed, refusing to go inside no matter what.

Shi Wen pushed her rump. She didn't butt or kick him, but she dug in stubbornly, bracing all four hooves and refusing to move.

She really was a bad-tempered cow.

Shi Wen couldn't do anything with her, so he tied her to the railing nearby and went outside to get some rapeseed cake, intending to cut some grass as well.

The two cows would have to be kept in the cattle sheds and couldn't go outside to graze, so Shi Wen had to cut grass and carry it in for them.

The pasture grass grew visibly from day to day in May. It now reached roughly to Shi Wen's ankles, making it easy to cut.